Pro-gun senators put gun control on the table; Private equity firm to sell company that builds assault rifle used in Newtown shooting

Newtown shooting leads Cerberus to get out of gun business

A number of signs suggest last week’s devastating school shooting in Newtown, Conn. may prove to be a watershed moment for the U.S. gun debate after several pro-gun senators signalled their intention to look at new gun control laws, while a private equity firm announced it would sell the company that makes the assault rifle used in the Newtown shooting.

Former Republican congressman and current conservative talk show host Joe Scarborough surprised many viewers Monday when he said the Sandy Hook Elementary school forced him to “re-think” his position on guns.

“Let this be our true landmark. Politicians can no longer be allowed to defend the status quo,” he said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

“I say ‘Good luck’ to the gun lobbyist . . . who tries to blunt the righteous anger of millions of parents by hiding behind twisted readings of our Bill of Rights.”

However, most pro-gun Republicans have avoided saying much on the politically treacherous issue of gun control and the National Rifle Association — the country’s largest gun-rights organization — has gone completely silent following the shooting, which left 20 children and eight adults dead, including gunman Adam Lanza.

A senior GOP senator has called for a study of both gun violence and mental health issues in the aftermath and formerly pro-gun Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said it’s now time to place gun control on the table.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, made his suggestion for a blue ribbon commission of “all stakeholders” Monday. Reid, D-Nev., said “a thoughtful debate about how to change laws” is coming soon. And National Rifle Association member Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., agreed it’s time to begin an honest discussion about gun control, and said he wasn’t afraid of the political consequences.

Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, who along with Manchin received an “A” rating from the NRA, has said “enough is enough” and said it’s time for stricter gun control.

It’s too early to say what could emerge next year in Congress, but the comments of Grassley, Reid and Manchin are significant. Grassley is senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which probably would have the first crack at any gun control legislation. Reid sets the Senate schedule. And Manchin defied the NRA while the politically potent pro-gun group remained silent in the aftermath of the massacre of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Grassley said Monday: “It certainly can’t be a debate just about guns. There must also be a serious and thoughtful discussion on mental health issues” as well as a culture that “tends to be less civil now than it has been for a long period of time.”

The NRA has deep pockets and a scorecard to back lawmakers who support gun rights, but Manchin said Monday, “I’m not afraid to say, `Let’s talk about that.'” Manchin told reporters, “I’m not afraid of the political ramifications.”

In an earlier statement Manchin said, “This awful massacre of our youngest children has changed us, and everything should be on the table.” He added that the discussion should include mental health treatment, assault-style weapons, high-capacity magazines, video games, movies and a culture that seems to glorify violence.

Reid told the Senate, “In the coming days and weeks, we will engage in a meaningful conversation and thoughtful debate about how to change laws and culture that allow violence to grow.” He added, “And every idea should be on the table as we discuss how best to do just that.”

In July, after 12 people were murdered in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., Reid said the Senate’s schedule was too packed to have a debate on gun control.

After 32 people were massacred in 2007 at Virginia Tech, Reid cautioned against a “rush to judgment” about new gun laws.

In 1993, Reid voted against a 10-year ban on assault-style weapons, but ultimately in favor of an omnibus crime bill that included the ban. But in 2004 he voted against an extension of the assault weapons ban, and the law died.

In 2010, top NRA official Wayne LaPierre called Reid “a true champion” of gun rights.

Rory Cooper, spokesman for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said Monday: “Right now is the moment for prayer and supporting the families of Newtown. There will be time to debate policy in the weeks ahead.”

Other Republicans said mental health, not guns, was the problem, and generally stayed away from a debate on gun control.

Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said: “We recognize those very demented, awkward people commit those crimes. We need to do a better job treating and looking at and finding people who have these problems. That’s the issue. We have millions and millions of guns. Guns aren’t the problem; sick people are.”

I say ‘Good luck’ to the gun lobbyist . . . who tries to blunt the righteous anger of millions of parents

Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said: “There are just evil people in the world. There’s nothing you’re going to do to prevent evil from occurring.”

The NRA’s silence on the issue is conspicuous, given that in previous mass shootings – such as in Oregon and Wisconsin – the group was quick to both send its condolences and defend gun owners’ constitutional rights, popular among millions of Americans. There’s no indication that the National Rifle Association’s silence this time is a signal that a change in its ardent opposition to gun restrictions is imminent. Nor has there been any explanation for its absence from the debate thus far.

The NRA, which claims 4.3 million members and is based in Northern Virginia, did not return telephone messages from The Associated Press Monday seeking comment.

Seldom has the NRA gone so long after a fatal shooting without a public presence. It resumed tweeting just one day after a gunman killed two people and then himself at an Oregon shopping mall last Tuesday, and one day after six people were fatally shot at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin in August.

The Connecticut shootings occurred three days after the incident in Oregon.

“The NRA’s probably doing a good thing by laying low,” said Hogan Gidley, a Republican strategist and gun owner who was a top aide to Rick Santorum’s presidential bid. “Often after these tragedies, so many look to lay blame on someone, and the NRA is an easy whipping boy for this.”

COMPANY WANTS OUT OF GUN BUSINESS

Private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management announced Tuesday morning it would sell Freedom Group, the firearms company that produces the .223 Bushmaster rifle used in Friday’s school shooting.

“This decision allows us to meet our obligations to the investors whose interests we are entrusted to protect without being drawn into the national debate,” the New York-based Cerberus said in a statement.

Freedom Group is the United States’s largest manufacturer of guns and ammunition, with nine plants and 3,100 employees.

Cerberus made the move after California Treasurer Bill Lockyer said he would propose that two of the state’s pensions plans — the largest in the U.S. — sell off any investments in firearms.

A CNN report suggests gun sales have surged upwards since Friday’s shooting as customers worry that assault rifles and large magazines may be banned by the government.

One gun store owner told CNN he was seeing “record” business.

The full Cerberus Capital Management statement

We were shocked and deeply saddened by the events that took place at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT on December 14, 2012. We cannot comprehend the losses suffered by the families and friends of those killed by the unthinkable crimes committed that day. No words or actions can lessen the enormity of this event or make a dent in the pain that was inflicted on so many.

In 2006 affiliates of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. made a financial investment in Freedom Group. Freedom Group does not sell weapons or ammunition directly to consumers, through gun shows or otherwise. Sales are made only to federally licensed firearms dealers and distributors in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. We do not believe that Freedom Group or any single company or individual can prevent senseless violence or the illegal use or procurement of firearms and ammunition.

It is apparent that the Sandy Hook tragedy was a watershed event that has raised the national debate on gun control to an unprecedented level. The debate essentially focuses on the balance between public safety and the scope of the Constitutional rights under the Second Amendment. As a Firm, we are investors, not statesmen or policy makers. Our role is to make investments on behalf of our clients who are comprised of the pension plans of firemen, teachers, policemen and other municipal workers and unions, endowments, and other institutions and individuals. It is not our role to take positions, or attempt to shape or influence the gun control policy debate. That is the job of our federal and state legislators.

There are, however, actions that we as a firm can take. Accordingly, we have determined to immediately engage in a formal process to sell our investment in Freedom Group. We will retain a financial advisor to design and execute a process to sell our interests in Freedom Group, and we will then return that capital to our investors. We believe that this decision allows us to meet our obligations to the investors whose interests we are entrusted to protect without being drawn into the national debate that is more properly pursued by those with the formal charter and public responsibility to do so.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and communities impacted by this tragic and devastating event.